Overview

Share your craft by teaching music to Filipino children in Tacloban City. Volunteers teach music at a community center offering a multitude of programs in order to empower the entire community, or at a youth rehabilitation center.

Your music classes will give children an artistic outlet as well as self-confidence. Volunteers are needed throughout the year, but especially during the summer months when students are no longer in school and spend most of the day at the community center. The minimum volunteering requirement is 10 hours per week for one week, but PAA strongly recommends two weeks.

For more specific information about a typical day on this program, please see the “Host Group” tab.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

-Age: Participants must be 18 or over the day they begin the program.

-GPA/Student Status: You do not need to be a student to participate in this program, all are welcome to apply.

-Language: There is no language requirement for this program. Volunteers will be given lessons in the local dialect of Waray Waray.

-Experience: At least one year of music experience is preferred.

-Motivation: We are looking for open-minded, flexible applicants who can clearly convey their passion for music and an acute interest in international travel and exposure to new ideas.

APPLICATION PROCESS

-Application Deadline: Two months before anticipated start date (this is flexible, please inquire if you are on a tighter schedule)

-Application Process: to apply, click the blue “Apply Now” button on this page. You will fill out a simple initial application online and pay a $200 deposit that is refundable if you are not accepted, and will apply toward your overall program cost if you are accepted (not an additional fee). At this point, we will ask you to send us the following materials:

Location

Find yourself surrounded by breathtaking ocean and bright green landscape in Tacloban City, the capital of the island of Leyte. Nearby Sohoton National Park is home to amazing caves and intricate rock formations. In November 2013, Typhoon Haiyan—one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded—tore through Leyte and completely destroyed the entire area. Tacloban was leveled and most people lost their homes and their livelihoods. More than 6,000 people lost their lives. The Performing Arts Abroad volunteer programs in this beautiful city were shut down for over a year, but are now open and running in full force, ready for volunteers to bring their love of the arts to a resilient people working hard to rebuild from almost nothing.

With over 7000 islands, the Philippines boasts white sand beaches, coral reefs, and beautiful mountains. Performing arts flourish throughout the region helping give this island nation its rich culture. With a long history, many Filipino dances have been passed down through generations.

Music is an integral part of the lives of most residents, from gong music to the lyrical Harana and Kundiman to Filipino pop songs (called Original Pinoy Music or OPM). Choral music is also very prevalent in the Philippines and traditional ethnic music has become more popular in recent years.

Housing

Based right outside Tacloban City, you will live with a Filipino host family in a housing area within a one-minute walk to the community center and other volunteers. Homes are basic yet comfortable, and volunteers are fed breakfast and dinner and have access to free drinking water. You will stay in a single room, or a room shared with another volunteer, and will be provided with a mosquito net and electric fan.

Cost & Dates

Dates: Flexible start dates, with more opportunities in April and May during school holidays. Suggested application deadline is two months before desired volunteering placement, but we can be flexible so please contact us if you need more time.There is no maximum time for participation.

*Costs:

Program Length

Cost

One Week

$1,620

Two weeks

$1,620

Three weeks

$1,710

Four weeks

$1,800

Five weeks

$1,890

Six weeks

$1,980

Seven weeks

$2,070

Eight weeks

$2,160

Each Additional Week

$90

Includes:

-Pre-departure orientation

-Airport pickup and drop-off

-On-Site Orientation

- Accommodation with host family, including two meals per day

-Regular check-ins with professional, friendly on-site staff

-Guaranteed volunteer placement customized to your interests

-Excursions to caves, waterfalls, and community projects

-Tour of city and center

-Short course in local dialect of Waray Waray

-24 hour emergency support

-Travel medical and accident insurance

-Post program support and access to alum network

Please note: Performing Arts Abroad reserves the right to alter fees at any time due to currency fluctuations and/or fee changes made by our partner companies.

Host Group

Volunteer with a local community center that provides programs and support for people of all ages, or at a youth rehabilitation center. While you teach a child in a music class, his or her mother could be attending a mothers club, the younger sibling could be in a playtime session, or the entire family could be benefitting from free medical services. In your music classes you will make a difference in the lives of children who live in poverty by giving them a space for creativity and self-expression. While space in the community center is basic, the children are very passionate and you will have access to acoustic guitars and a keyboard.

The youth rehabilitation center is a facility for minors who have been accused of committing crimes. Many of these children have been here for a year or longer awaiting a trial that may still be far in the distant future. These children have been forgotten and left as victims of circumstance, and they are eager to participate in constructive positive activities such as music and other arts.

Volunteers must commit to a minimum of one week working ten hours per week, but PAA strongly recommends two weeks or longer.

Upon arrival in the airport, you will be picked up by a member of our staff and taken to your homestay where you will unpack and settle in, getting to know your new Filipino family and your neighborhood. In the following days, you will receive a full orientation to the areayou’re your project, including a tour of the city center of Tacloban and visits to several community projects. You will start your volunteering, and will arrange a schedule with our volunteer coordinator that fits with the community center or rehabilitation center and meets your needs and desires. There are usually a handful of other volunteers on this program at any given time, and many more during the summer months. Other volunteers may be focusing on arts, but many will be helping in other areas such as teaching English, tutoring, community development, infrastructre, public health, etc. You may be able to get involved with these initiatives as well, depending on your background and interests.

Map

Program Photos

Program Photos

-Learn the local dialect Waray Waray in two crash courses

-See the surrounding area during a day trip excursion to a cave or waterfall

-Teach music to low-income children ages 8-16 at a local community center or rehabilitation center